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| Cairo move to stop imam's visit "alarming", says chief rabbi |
| 2008-01-23 |
| (AKI) - The intervention of an Egyptian mosque in stopping Rome imam, Ala Eldin Mohammed Ismail al-Ghobaishy, from visiting the city's synagogue was "alarming", the chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, said on Tuesday. "It is not possible to deny the alarming signals from Egypt," Di Segni said at a crowded media conference in Rome. Di Segni said the actions of the grand mosque of Al-Azhar in Cairo had created a "short-circuit" around the visit that was to have taken place on Wednesday. "We want to believe that organisational problems are the reasons for the temporary halt and they can be resolved quickly," Di Segni said. The chief rabbi said several supporters of the Sunni institution were looking to "pollute" relations between the faiths with a political dimension. The historic visit by the imam from Rome's mosque was scheduled for Wednesday but was cancelled late on Tuesday after opposition from the grand mosque of Al-Azhar, the most important international institution for Sunni Muslims. Di Segni emphasised his faith in the leaders of the Islamic community in the Italian capital from whom there had been "significant signs". After seeing meetings between Muslims and Jews in other capitals like Paris, he said the meetings are a "common and not problematic". Meanwhile, Riccardo Pacifici, spokesman for Rome's Jewish community, stressed "the importance of valuing those Islamic organisations that share the values of freedom with us and recognise the constitution of our country", rather than those that "preach hatred towards Jews that are so-called crusaders". Awaiting a new date for the visit, Pacifici said the Jewish community was thinking of proposing a similar occasion and the same warm welcome. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 is this the imam who claims the Koran, properly read, recognizes the Jewish claim to the land of Israel? |
| Posted by: Dopey Flotle8127 2008-01-23 09:57 |